The measure of success in spiritual life is how peaceful you are.

When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.

Those who cling to perceptions and views wander the world offending people.

The more precisely you note, the more clearly you understand. The more clearly you understand, the stronger your insight becomes.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.

Whatever we do, we should see ourselves. Reading books doesn't show us our defilements. Watch yourself. Watch your mind.

Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.

The entire path is a path of self-responsibility. Nobody else can walk it for you.

The only things that are truly mine are my actions and their results.

The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

Every moment of mindfulness is a step on the path to liberation. Each step is valuable, no matter how small.

The root of suffering is resisting the certainty that no matter what the circumstances, uncertainty is all we truly have.

The Four Noble Truths are not mere doctrinal propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our lives.

Where is the place that your original face has not yet emerged?

Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.

Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we're holding back.

Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

Compassion is not just about being kind to others. It's about being kind to ourselves as well.

Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, wisdom arises naturally as we open our hearts to the truth of what is.

People who study a lot but don't practice are like a ladle in a soup pot. It's in the soup every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup.

The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person's suffering and bring that person joy.

The development of insight is gradual, but the realization of truth is sudden.

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

The Noble Eightfold Path is not a path of mere intellectual understanding but a path of practice, of inner transformation.

The only way to experience truth is to look within, to observe oneself.

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.

The practice of metta begins with oneself, for only when we have developed loving-kindness towards ourselves can we truly offer it to others.

Knowledge must be stabilized by meditation. Without meditation, knowledge is like a child in battle.

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

Buddhist practice is not to eliminate life's problems but to grow with them patiently and with compassion.

Vipassana is the art of living. Not the art of escaping.

The time of the past becomes the present, the time of the present becomes the future, the time of the future becomes the present, and the time of the present becomes the past.